Summary

The writer’s grandfather liked to collect animals and had a zoo at home. Once he bought a
monkey named Toto from a tonga driver for a sum of five rupees.
Toto was kept secretly as the grandmother disliked animals. Toto was very mischievous.
When the writer and his grandfather hid Toto in a cupboard, and tied him to a hook, he
broke the hook and caused havoc in the room. The next day, when he was kept in the
servants room along with other animals, he did not let them sleep all night.
As grandfather had to go to Saharanpur for work, he decided to take the monkey along with
him. He carried Toto in a strong bag made of canvas and closed the zip nicely so that Toto
could not escape. Toto made unsuccessful attempts to get out of the bag, which made the
back jump and roll. This aroused the curiosity of fellow passengers at the railway station. At
the Saharanpur railway station, when grandfather was getting his ticket checked, Toto
peeked out of the bag and smiled at the ticket collector. As the ticket collector declared that
it was a dog, grandfather had to buy a ticket for 3 rupees, much to his annoyance.
When toto was accepted by grandmother, it was given a place in the stable along with the
donkey- Nana. Toto did not get along with nana as well.
Toto enjoyed taking bath in warm water during the winter season. One day, he almost
boiled himself when he jumped into a kettle of boiling water.
One afternoon, Toto ate the family meal of pulao. He threw the empty dish from the tree and
it broke it into several pieces.
Toto’s mischiefs grew by the day and grandfather realized that they could not keep him at
home. Finally, he found the same tonga driver and sold Toto back to him for a sum of three
rupees.

Question and Answers

1. How does Toto come to grandfather’s private zoo?
A. The writer’s grandfather liked to collect animals and had made a zoo at home. One day,
he saw a red - coloured monkey tied to a trough with a tonga driver. He liked the monkey
and wanted to add it to his collection. He bought Toto from the tonga driver for a sum of five
rupees.

2. “Toto was a pretty monkey.” In what sense is Toto pretty?

A. The writer says that Toto was pretty. He had bright, shining eyes which were full of
mischief. His teeth were like pearls. He had a long tail which was like a third hand for him.
The writer’s grandfather felt that a tail added to the beauty of an animal. So, Toto was
thought to be a pretty animal.

3. Why does grandfather take Toto to Saharanpur and how? Why does the ticket collector
insist on calling Toto a dog?
A. Grandfather took Toto along with himself to Saharanpur because as he was
mischievous, it was not safe to leave him alone at home. A bag made of strong canvas
material was arranged. Some straw was placed in it. Toto was placed inside the bag and
the bag was sealed with the zipper.
The ticket collector did not accept grandfather’s claim that Toto was not a dog. He called it a
dog and charged a ticket fee for it because only dogs were allowed to travel on trains. If
Toto had to travel by train, then, he would have to be termed a dog.

4. How does Toto take a bath? Where has he learnt to do this? How does Toto almost boil
himself alive?
A. Toto would check the temperature of the water by inserting his hand in it. Then he would
step into the tub, one foot at a time. Finally, he would sit in it, with his face out. Then he
would rub soap on his body. When the water became cold, he would jump out and run to
the stove in the kitchen to dry himself.
He had learnt this way of bathing from the writer.
On day, Toto jumped into a kettle of water kept on the stove for boiling as he found it warm
enough for a bath. As the water grew hotter, he thought of ascending but the cold weather
made him go back into the kettle. Toto kept on doing this for a while till he was spotted by
the grandmother. She pulled him out of the kettle in time or else he would have boiled
himself that day.

5. Why does the author say, “Toto was not the sort of pet we could keep for long”?
A. The author says that Toto was not the kind of pet that they could keep for long because
he was extremely mischievous. He destroyed many things - he tore the wallpapers, clothes
and curtains. He broke dishes too. The family could not afford all this and so, decided to get
rid of Toto.